When accepting an interview with Vanity Fair, Duke once said that for films with investnts below the million-dollar level, he could do whatever he wanted because he had the comrcial value for it. However, big-budget productions must follow the current market trends and et the tastes of mainstream audiences.
Moreover, Duke had to admit that Japanese culture was more comrcially viable than Chinese culture in North Arica nowadays. Designing the dojo in a Japanese style would be easier for the audience to accept, and the film only had this one clear foreign-style building throughout.
The reason was clear: if too many non-Western elents were added to a film, it would surely turn into a niche film!
So might ntion the box-office success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which featured a distinctive Chinese style. But putting aside the film’s core, its lengthy theatrical run, and the modest $10 million budget, no one could deny that it was still a niche film. Many theaters that screened it in North Arica were near areas with a large Chinese or Asian population.
If Chinese-style scenes were inserted repeatedly into The Matrix, it would be easy to imagine how much it would disrupt the cyberpunk style of the film.
To put it bluntly, The Matrix could have beco a niche film if that happened.
Duke didn’t want to be like Quentin Tarantino, making a niche film that only catered to Hong Kong film enthusiasts.
The Matrix was a large-budget comrcial movie that had to cater to the tastes of mainstream audiences. Adding inexplicable elents that wouldn’t be recognized in the North Arican market wouldn’t be innovation; it would be digging its own grave.
Not even Duke, Steven Spielberg, or Jas Caron could guarantee a film’s success, but top directors understood a fact: being reckless when making comrcial films could lead to disastrous failure.
Comrcial films weren’t experintal films.
After finishing the shooting the previous day, the crew was split into two. Zack Snyder took Keanu Reeves and others to Sydney for so exterior shots. Duke stayed behind at Warner’s production studio, supervising the remaining action scenes directed by Yuan Heping and learning as much as he could from the action team.
In the next few days, the filming in the studio focused on Trinity’s fight scenes.
Charlize Theron, dressed in tight, glossy black leather, showcased her long legs and slender waist according to the choreographed moves, fully utilizing her physical advantages on cara. Compared to Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne, Charlize’s ballet training made her balance much better, and her wire work was far superior to theirs.
The action mostly involved leg attacks, highlighting Charlize’s current role to the fullest. Especially when she combined a handgun with acrobatic moves like the inverted crucifix, it was almost breathtaking.
"You didn’t let down, did you?"
During a break, Charlize Theron approached Duke, standing behind the monitors. "I did well, right?"
"Very well!"
Though the footage hadn’t been processed yet, Duke felt that Charlize could easily outshine any other actress playing Trinity. Just based on her natural talent, she already surpassed the actress whose na Duke couldn’t even rember.
"Tired?"
Seeing Charlize lightly tapping the back of her high-heeled boots, Duke pointed to a chair nearby. "Sit down."
Charlize sat, her feet completely off the ground.
It was a common sight in comrcial films to see beautiful won fighting and running in high heels. While it looked stunning on screen, those shoes were far from practical for combat. It wasn’t just a matter of fighting, even while filming, actresses often suffered in those shoes.
Duke glanced at her but said nothing. For Hollywood stars, such discomfort was just part of the job.
Seeing Duke review the footage, Charlize wisely chose to remain silent, lightly brushing her black-dyed short hair to avoid ssing up her style. Over the past few months, she had endured countless blisters on her feet, but she had gotten used to it. The potential success of the film made it all worthwhile.
After Duke finished his coffee, Charlize asked, "I heard the film will be released in May next year?"
"That’s right."
Though the news hadn’t been officially announced, it was no secret within the crew. Duke put his cup down and turned to her with a smile. "What’s the matter? Can’t wait? Sally, as long as you maintain today’s performance, I promise that even if the film fails, you’ll still beco a star."
"How could your film possibly fail?" Charlize responded with a dazzling smile. Then she added, "I’m a bit concerned, though. I heard from my agent that two major films with strong budgets are releasing the week before and after ours. One is DreamWorks’ Impact Earth with an $85 million budget, and the other is Sony’s Godzilla, costing $150 million."
"No worries." Duke shook his head. "Dear, that’s the sumr season. Every weekend is a competitive weekend. But there are so weekends with less competition, so we’ll avoid clashes with these two films."
From May to July, the sumr season only had a few weekends. And with so many big-budget films scheduled for release, competition was inevitable.
While the sumr season ran until the end of July, everyone knew that after the Independence Day weekend, the effect of the sumr rush would start to fade. After being bombarded by big comrcial films for two months, audiences would experience so fatigue.
According to the usual tradition in North Arican cinema, except for special films like Independence Day, the higher the investnt, the sooner such films would appear in the sumr season, especially at the start.
The market had its own rhythm. Once the Oscars were over, the months of March and April were the calst, and no blockbuster films typically debuted during this period. These two months of calm ant the market would beco hungrier, benefiting any film that debuted before May. As long as the quality wasn’t too bad, it would naturally thrive in that environnt.
Indeed, May was one of the most competitive periods of the year.
Of course, all sumr films faced fierce competition. Despite Impact Earth and Godzilla, Duke never feared competition, as he had told Charlize. Even if the film were released on a different weekend, it would still face fierce competition, so since they had chosen the sumr season, the competition was unavoidable.
Moreover, there was a benefit to releasing during that weekend. According to information from Doug Walter at Warner Bros, at least none of the films being released the sa weekend had recognizable titles or big-budget productions over $50 million.
Although it hadn’t entered the new millennium yet, comrcial films’ opening weekend box office had beco increasingly significant, and avoiding clashes with powerful competitors was a top priority for all distributors.
After chatting for a while, Charlize left to touch up her makeup. Duke walked behind the cara and discussed the filming schedule with Yuan Heping. Soon, the fight scenes for Trinity resud.
Perhaps it was due to her African roots, but Charlize’s sexy figure under the tight leather suit exuded a natural wildness, like a female leopard from the African savanna. Having done extensive modeling and ballet training, her body was flexible and agile. She even managed to perform several high kicks herself, showing her dedication.
Success in Hollywood might have shortcuts, but there were no shortcuts for hard work. Without the support of effort, success in Hollywood would quickly turn into failure.
At the end of the day’s shoot, Duke decided not to work overti. The Star Wars crew at Fox Studios was hosting a dia party, and due to Duke’s good relationship with Lucas, he and the main cast of The Matrix were invited to attend.
Of course, this would bring even more stars and celebrities to the event, a win-win for everyone.
After packing his things, Duke picked up his briefcase and was about to call Tina Fey before rembering that he had sent her back to North Arica. He shook his head and headed out of the studio.
After walking a few steps, he heard heavy footsteps behind him. Charlize Theron, looking truly tired, caught up with him.
"Can I get a ride back to the hotel?" she asked.
The two crews were staying at the sa hotel, and the party was also held there, so Duke didn’t refuse. He nodded, "Let’s go. We’ll head back early so you can shower and change."
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